I Live For The Money Interview: Greg Selkoe (Karmaloop/The Huffington Post)

I Live For The Money Presents: Person of Interest | Interview Series #0002:
Greg Selkoe (Karmaloop / The Huffington Post)

State your name and what you do.
Greg Selkoe / this.

Describe your current surroundings and your mood at the moment (*Say airplane).
On a jet.

*The man never disappoints.

Which type of communication device are you responding to this interview with?
Apple iPhone

What are you listening to at the moment?
Cudi, Bad Rabbits, Johnny Polygon, Wale, Pheonix, Crystal Castles, The Virgins, U-N-I, Fashawn, How to Make it in America Mixtape, TV on the Radio, Gorrillaz, Kanye, Drake, and Roxy Cottontail.

YOU / LIFE

In a sense, you were ahead of your time because it is now 2010 and corporations are finally beginning to realize that reaching out to customers is actually a smart move. I used to get extremely frustrated when I would contact and never receive a response from companies I supported. Now, not a day goes by where I do not see the same companies try and interact with customers on Facebook and Twitter. Based off of that fact alone, I knew from 2003 that your business would rise to the top. I know that is a bold statement but I do not not think I am wrong either. If I am wrong, why do you think your company has stood the test of time and earned the title of leading online retailer of street fashion?
I think because we are authentic. When I started Karmaloop, I wasn’t like “Hey, I am gonna start a business. What can I make the most money at…?” It was something that happened organically, started out small in my parents’ basement selling clothing to a culture I loved and was part of. Everyone who works at Karmaloop wears the clothes we sell. They are DJ’s and artists who have their own brands. I think it comes through in how we run the site. We really care about our customers and interact with them. We have tons of people who rep. Karmaloop around the world. We go hard everyday and that pays off.

There are individuals whose financial worth defines their self-worth. What does money mean to you? What defines you?
Money is important for sure. I always wanted for Karmaloop to make a lot of money but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it. Getting up everyday and doing something that u enjoy is the key. I could never work everyday on something I didn’t believe in or just to make money. I would go insane. Being successful has been great, but money to me doesn’t mean tons of baller shit, but it means choices( such as being able to travel). I bought a nice apartment, but other than that, I stay at nice hotels and fly first class which is great but I haven’t bought tons of possessions. It is about living life with more ease so I can put more focus on the projects I am working on. The most important thing is that I can work on new things and keep growing. Plus push things I believe in. Right now I am starting a non-profit organization in Boston to push the cities creative and cultural environment forward.

Greg’s blog on The Huffington Post web site.

In a recent blog post (Your Old Labels are Dead!), you wrote on the term “Verge Culture”. Do you feel that mainstream society will eventually acknowledge and accept our culture and talent derived from it? In what ways would the culture benefit from mainstream acceptance?
I don’t think mainstream society will ever fully get it. But the more underground and progressive movements in fashion, music, and culture will always remain and will keep evolving. It is these movements that have always influenced the mainstream by the time they adopt some of the ideas or trends people who are making shit happen keep evolving and are on to something new.

Do we even need mainstream acceptance for the culture to continue to expand and mature?
Def. not, but in terms of art as long as creative people are given free reign, I think it makes sense to get funding from bigger companies etc. Why should artists have to be broke? Back in the day of Europe, they had kings and the church to pump huge amounts of money into the arts and from that u got some of the great masters. Now corporations are the kings and the church. But when done right like Scion did a few years back, a lot of underground artists can eat and get their work seen.

Screenshot of the invite only social network, Junglelife (www.junglelife.com).

Do you feel content with your current position in life? Are there goals you wish to set out and accomplish?
Never content, always grinding. I am never going to stop building until I am dead. My big projects right now are, Junglelife.com, a private invite only global social network for cultural creatives and launching Karmaloop TV as a cable channel.

Screenshot of The Kelly Show, on Karmaloop TV (www.karmalooptv.com)

What do you think of when you hear these two words? Orange County.
I have different thoughts. But I know some cool cats from the OC like Rob and Jonas from LRG, the guys from Supra, Orisue, and Triumvir. So even though I have only been there twice, seems like there are some cool people there.

Did you watch MTV’s Jersey Shore? Who was your favorite cast member?
Not really, but I have checked it out a few times. But the illest cast memeber is the one who didn’t make the cut: Bobby Bottle Service, trust me check him on funnyordie.com

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BUSINESS / E-COMMERCE

Who believed in you when you first started Karmaloop?
My pops and my girl and not to many others, but I was able to convince a few.

Screenshot of Karmaloop.com from 2003.

Did you write a business plan?
Not really.

Tell us more about the Karmaloop team. Who has been with Karmaloop since day one? Who drives you absolutely insane? Who do you have the most interesting conversations with?
Dina, my lady, has been with me from day one. She believed in the vision, supported us when we had no money, helped me pack boxes, and has had influence and input on every piece of the company. She was also the womens buyer for a long time. The longest employee after that is Anand Shah. He is my right hand man. He basically runs the company. He started out as a temp, just killed it, and kept moving up from there. Gio, our marketing director has been with the company second longest. She crushes it on the marketing side (obviously). She parties hard but doesn’t stop hustling. Guys are always trying to get her number from me but no one messes with her because she will get all Cuban on them. Everyone on the team knows how to have fun but still gets the job done.

Describe your daily routine. How does it differ from when you first started the company. How do you determine which tasks to delegate to Kate (Mr. Selkoe’s assistant) and which ones to take on personally? Are you personally typing up the response to this interview or has Kate inherited the task : ) ?
I am typing it on my iPhone, 10:30a.m. Sunday morning in LA. I do less stuff myself but I still do a lot of work. I try to trust the people I have hired to run with it. Kate holds it down for sure though.

I believe that the Karmaloop Rep Program (KRP) is unique from the average affiliate program because of the sense of community that is prevalent. That fact alone creates a stronger push and more drive from the Reps who are already passionate about what they do. Let’s pretend you were a KRP team member. How would you approach earning commission more efficiently?
I am gonna kick that one out to Dennis he is the man on that one I am sure he has lots to say.

Do you feel that you have been blessed with the privilege of being in a position where you can be heard? If so, what would you like to do that you have not already done?
I feel blessed everyday. My life is fun as shit, meet lots of cool people, get to travel, spend time at an office full of dogs and music, with people I love.

How pivotal has Dennis Todisco’s role been to KRP? Can you explain to readers the importance of internet presence in 2010 (regardless of profession/industry)? What else does Dennis do at Karmaloop as the Director of Grassroots Marketing?
When I first met, Dennis, he was living on the streets. Just kidding, Dennis is a huge presence. No one hustles harder than him. He is 22 years old and has been with Karmaloop three years. He is ambitous and knows everyone in the scene. He can also do creative and has a great eye for brands and style. He keeps telling me he is going to take over so I can chill on a beach and he can send me checks.

The Karmaloop name is synonymous with street fashion/retail, yet there is a whole lot more that many may not know about. I feel it is important for readers to know that Karmaloop also devotes time to various causes. Please share with us exactly what you do and the organizations you work with.
We have big mouths and we push what we believe in. We supported Obama big last year. We do a ton of stuff with charity organizations. We work closely with Kanye and his foundation and have raised tens of thousand. We do events to raise money for a bunch of causes. We aren’t afraid to take a stand on issues and put our money where are mouths are.

The first item I bought meets the last item ordered from the legendary e-commerce company and SEO gangsters.

If I remember correctly, the very first item I purchased from Karmaloop was a gray reversible Lithium jacket (that I still have till this day). ? Are there any particular pieces from over the years that you really liked?
To many to name.

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FILL-IN

Mac or PC:
PC (Yo, Bill send me a check).

Canon or Nikon:
Nikon

BlackBerry or iPhone:
iPhone (Yo, Steve send me a check).

Favorite brands (any consumer brand):
Not gonna say clothing brand it will get me in to trouble. Virgin.

Favorite villain (from a movie)?
Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York.

Favorite web sites and blogs:
Huffingtonpost.com (I am a blogger there), hypebeast.com, ctotheJl.com, cultureshoq.com, randi.org, globalgrind.com

Your web site or blog:
Karmaloop.com
KarmaloopTV.com
Junglelife.com

Thank you for your time.
- Minh / iliveforthemoney.com

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